Parents protest over major issues at Werrimull P-12

Parents from Werrimull P-12 say issues at the school have ruined the community — and this drastic act is their only option.

Werrimull P-12 school council has taken a vote of no confidence against principal Erin Fush.

Parents at one of the state’s most isolated schools – which receives $75,000 in funding per student – have withdrawn their children in protest of major issues at the school.

Rather than starting term four next week, parents from Werrimull P-12 will rally outside the Millewa school gates on Monday morning.

They say years of complaints about the school have been ignored and their community is divided and traumatised.

It’s estimated that 14 of the remote school’s 16 families are keeping their children home.

When asked about the allegations, a Department of Education spokesman said the department was supporting the school.

Principal Erin Fush is now on leave.

“The health and safety of our students and staff is our No.1 priority. There are established processes in place to deal with complaints from parents and carers, and these are being followed in the case of Werrimull P-12. All complaints are taken seriously,” he said.

In May, the school council wrote to the Education Department stating it was “appalled” at the lack of action over the concerns.

The letter said 13 families with 32 children had left the school in recent years, leaving fathers on the farm and mothers and children relocating to towns 100kms away.

The letter said the council had taken a vote of no confidence against principal Erin Fush amid “immense pressure from parents in our school community past and present”.

The Herald Sun spoke to numerous current and former parents and staff who say concerns about the school’s leadership date back to at least 2013.

One parent representative with two children at the school said although acting principal Jim Hill “had shown parents how good things can be”, concerned remained about the possibility of Ms Fush returning to the school next year.

“My children will not go back to the school if that principal returns,” she said.

Ms Fush has been on leave this year travelling around Australia with her family.

Werrimull P-12 is one of the state’s most isolated schools, receiving funding of $75,000 per student. In 2021 it had 35 students and 14 full time staff and a budget of more than $2m.

Mildura Councillor Ian Arney wants the issues to be properly investigated.

A former parent at the school said she “made plenty of complaints and went to a lot of meetings but was labelled a problem parent.

“Things are so bad for those who speak out that our kids don’t play local sport and we can’t even go to the pub,” she said.

Mildura Councillor Ian Arney is a former student at the school and joined the call for the issues to be properly investigated.

“The fact that so many people are saying the same things and this has been going on for a long time means there needs to be an investigation into the allegations,” he said.

Annette Lambert, a former parent at the school, said: “It’s ruined the community and divided families and we’ve been fighting it and fighting it”.

Originally published as Parents protest over major issues at Werrimull P-12